Sky-high computing: The innovations that prove the cloud is the new normal

5 minute read22nd April 2016

There was a time when cloud computing was a disruptive force in the world of technology. It’s now as ordinary as the clouds in the sky.

Back in 2011, Holger Kisker from Forrester claimed (among other predictions) that “The Wild West of cloud procurement is over”.

By 2012, most companies had established their formal cloud strategy, multi-cloud resources had become the ‘norm’, and the industry as a whole was growing rapidly. However, a few years ago, cloud computing was still considered a new technology, one to rival the traditional infrastructure.

It’s now got to the point where cloud computing isn’t some upstart, or rival technology; it’s the default way that the technological world works. Giving users greater speed and flexibility, cloud technology has started a new era of productivity and innovation in the public and private sectors.

The cloud has already revolutionized the way we access computing power. According to Tim Kraska, an assistant professor of computer science at Brown University, “computing power and storage can now be consumed like electricity in an on-demand fashion.”

Last year, Amazon Web Services (AWS) chief, Andy Jassy, declared that the "Cloud has become the new normal." Jassy predicts that the vast majority of workloads will move to the cloud in the next 10 years, for example, publishing giant Time Inc. is using AWS to eliminate two of its data centers in the next year alone.

Quite simply, the cloud is starting to re-shape the deep infrastructure we rely on. And this is more than evident in a series of recent innovations and developments:

Earlier this year, the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) was launched – an engineering-focused initiative that aims to re-imagine traditional approaches to building and deploying telecom network infrastructure to be more in line with an online cloud-based world.

To achieve this, the project brings together operators, infrastructure providers, system integrators and other technology companies to develop a solution to the global data challenge. With more people and devices online than ever before, traditional telecoms needs an overhaul. For example, TIP members will be looking to develop 5G, among other things.

What this means for business: The cloud has largely focused on consolidating and simplifying, adding extra elements of efficiency to all areas of business. Arguably, all modern businesses lean on their phone and internet infrastructure to connect with clientele and service customers.

Historically, deployment of telecom infrastructures has been an arduous, time-consuming process with lots of wires, downloads and IT manpower that today seems sort of silly. If you’re still muddling about with a telecom system that has a nauseatingly complex design, keep your eyes open for these future networks.

2. Google wants hard drives to be designed to store cloud data

The basic 3.5-inch hard drive disk design hasn’t changed much since the dawn of computing. But, according to Google, this needs to change. Google is hoping to work with both technology experts and researchers in design to create hard drives that are specially designed for cloud-based storage.

This would be a landmark moment for cloud technology, as this seemingly ephemeral form of computing would be changing the physical design of our devices.

Instead of focusing on individual disks, the proposed design would be about optimizing a collection of disks to improve capacity and performance.

What this means for business: simply put, data storage. The more we store and process, the more advanced our businesses become. Businesses are constantly creating digital catalogs that are thorough and searchable.

3. Intel designs custom chips for AWS’s new C4 instances

Another great example of how cloud technology is developing rapidly and re-shaping the tech world is this project from Intel. To power AWS’s new server instances, Intel has designed custom Xeon processors that are optimized for high-octane computing. The result?

The chips will provide the highest level of CPU performance that Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) has ever seen. This will dramatically improve Amazon’s cloud-computing platform.

What this means for business: smarter, faster and more capable programs online. Online programs running off optimized cloud systems will be able to do more with less. Advanced computing over the web is evolving quickly enough that soon download may become less common than subscribe. No more running to the store to buy the latest issue of whatever business analysis software. Check for cloud first.

As you can see, cloud computing has become much more than just another IT platform shift or a cost-containment mechanism. It’s transforming every sector of society, affecting everyone, and not just IT professionals. From SMBs to governments and everything in between, the cloud is becoming part of the deep structure that forms the digital world.

This marks a new era of innovation for businesses and, at NewVoiceMedia, we are excited to be part of this technology revolution. Our cloud contact center and inside sales platform can help your business grow and help you to deliver better service, all with the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of a cloud-based platform.